Onra "Long Distance"

Last.fm is an awesome site for countless reasons, if you aren’t on it I highly recommend getting down with it! Directly after having a conversation with my partner dj100proof about the site and how he uses it to discover new music (an application I had yet to explore) I log into my account and find out that Onra, an ill Parisian beat maker, is coming to town next week! Gotta love the internet.


He has been on the road for a little bit now, hitting some big cities and spreading his brand of electro-boogie-funk-hip hop to the masses. I don’t even remember how I got hip to Long Distance - his full length release on All City records that he views as his official debut. He has a few beat tapes in circulation, much in the vien of what Dilla gave us with Donuts. Long Distance is aptly titled as it’s well beyond anything someone would want to say is biting Mr. Yancy.

It is however certainly inspired by much of the same sounds that another Stones Throw representer, Dam Funk, is pulling on. More Hip Hop than boogie however, Onra crafts his own brand of jams here sometimes featuring vocalists like Oliver Daysoul, Reggie B and SV alum T3. All the tracks feature bouncy bass lines that inspire movement, and synthesizer sounds that just feel happy!

Throughout this record a feeling is perpetuated. It’s a good feeling. A feeling of good times. On the track “Send Me Your Love” he features quiet vocals in the background. No singer is credited, I’m guessing it’s off a record he dug up and incorporated, much like DJ Shadow has been doing with his newer work. The Hip Hop influence is definitely present in Onra’s music, heard largely through his drums.

Onra - The One feat. T3 from Slum Village from Onra on Vimeo.

The album really is a beautiful merging of so much. No two tracks are alike, yet everything is sequenced just right. The minimal beat of “Don’t Stop” opens with sounds that remind me of his fellow Paris dwellers, Justice. But then it eases out and turns into a slow burning smooth jam that is incredibly sensual. This is baby making music for the year 4000.

Long Distance should appeal to lovers of many kinds of music. Their are tunes here for everyone. I can’t even hear my mom saying that his electronic sounds and sampling have no soul. Their is a depth in these cuts that you can get lost in. I can’t wait to hear what he plays in his set next week (Tuesday Nov. 2nd at the Lo-Fi for Stop Biting - major props to @introcut!), while I do hope he gives us some jams off the album I’m more intrigued by what secrets his crates might hold. Either way it's gonna be a filthy show!